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04/25/2012

State rep asks for ethics probe against ex-Treasurer employee

More trouble for the state Treasurer as he forges ahead with his quest to unseat incument Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown:

State Rep. Matt Lundy (D., Elyria) has asked for an ethics investigation into whether a former employee of Republican Treasurer of State Josh Mandel has violated rules against lobbying one's former employer.

Attached is Lundy's three-page letter that he says he submitted to the Ohio Ethics Commission.

The letter centers on Joel Riter, who was hired by Mr. Mandel in January, 2011, left the office as Constituent and Executive Agency Liaison in June, 2011, and began lobbying the treasurer's office on behalf of an investment firm. State law prohibits a former government employee from lobbying one's former employer on matters that involved the former employee for a year.

Mr. Riter told The Columbus Dispatch that he had clearance for his lobbying activities. He said that he got an opinion from the Ohio Ethics Commission that said he could represent financial institutions before the treasurer’s office as long as it did not involve matters he personally participated in while employed by the office.